I’ve had an idea in my head for a while – one more addition to the nautical wall by our hallway bathroom.  Something very, very mini – I like my “Sail On” mini quilt but somehow it got a lot bigger than I intended.

(In hindsight, I would make the sailboat block a lot smaller, maybe 8-inch square instead of 12”.)

For this new addition to the nautical art wall, I didn’t really have a concrete plan in mind.  I wanted to feature a few nautical prints and do some sort of improv piecing or wonky log cabin to showcase the fussy cut pieces.  So I gathered a few fabrics and just let the idea ramble around in my head for a while.  Last weekend I woke up and decided to just get started and see what came of it.

My sewing situation is a work in progress at the moment… I love being able to set up shop with my craft table, but I also love folding it up and away for some breathing room every once in a while.  I decided to make do and set up on the floor.  I actually had a lot of fun – I didn’t use a ruler, or a rotary cutter, or nicely laid out piles of precisely cut fabric.  I just pulled out scraps and went to town.

I ended up with two (extra small) mini quilts.  I started with three fussy cut centers – octopus, mermaid, narwhales, anchors, ship, rope—surrounded with strips of blue.  For the dark centers, I used lighter blues; and for the light centers, I used darker blues, with a few common fabrics to tie them together.

I used my favorite pillow case method to finish each one.  I pieced together a few batting scraps, then quilted the top and batting together with vertical lines.   I used a pretty tree print as the backing, which I attached with a ¼” seam with right sides together, leaving a 3” gap for turning.

After trimming the batting/backing/top and clipping the corners, I pulled the right sides out and poked out the corners with a knitting needle.  Then another ¼” seam and a few more quilting lines horizontally – just simple stitching in the ditch.  I finished it up with a label and was done – it was fun to have a quick finish in just a couple hours!

I really like how they turned out!

So with the addition of two more (extra small) mini quilts, my nautical wall has been rearranged once more.  There have been several reincarnations by now… normally I hang art and then I’m done, but it’s been an unexpected pleasure to keep adding to this gallery wall.  Here’s a look at what it looked like in the very beginning:

And when I added the Kate Thomas print (that I won!):

And when I added my nautical mini quilt:

And now, with two more extra mini quilts added:

Here’s a view from the bathroom, looking into the hall.  (Yep, that huge picture of the Golden Gate bridge is still leaning against the wall.  I think it’s officially staying there now.)  Of course Cora had to come check out what I was doing!

These two spaces are begging for something more, but I don’t know what yet.

I’m already scouring eBay for something to add – I’m thinking some sort of metal anchor or compass would be a nice addition, since the wall already has plenty of frames and fabric.

This fun morning of sewing equals two more cards to add to the WIP Box!

Under the Sea and Over the Sea Mini Quilts

Started/Completed: June 2013

Size: 8″ x 16″

Fabrics: nautical/blue scraps

Pattern: wonky log cabin with fussy cut centers

Quilting: stitch in the ditch grid

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I’m linking up to Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts!